Pro Wakeboard Tour Kicks Off - Day 1

Ft. Worth Pro Tour Stop - Day 1 of 3
MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour Kicks Off
Fort Worth Qualifiers, Local Makes the Cut

Date: 5/29/09
Author: WSM Press Release

Fort Worth, Tex. - Nearly 90 wakeboarders from throughout the globe hit the waters of Lake Moser at Texas MasterCraft today to compete in the qualifying rounds of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Fort Worth, Tex. Riders in both the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men divisions battled it out behind the boat, performing rail tricks and aerial stunts to try to earn a spot this weekend's contest.

While the top-16 riders in the Pro Men's division received a bye from today's Qualifiers, over 50 hopefuls turned out to compete in the division's opening-round. Only taking the top-two riders from each of the 12 heats in the Qualifiers, the competition was cut in half, advancing only 24 riders onto tomorrow's Round of 40, where they will be joined by the top-16 athletes.

Among the 24 to advance today was Fort Worth area local, Keith Holley. Holley, 22, of Weatherford, Tex., competed in a five-man heat, where he took the second spot, behind Australian Pro Tour champ, Dean Smith. Both Holley and Smith will hit the water tomorrow, Saturday May 30 for the Pro Men's division Round of 40, which is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. noon.

In the Jr. Pro Men's division, 36 amateur rippers battled it out on the water in ten heats, with only top-two riders from each group advancing onto tomorrow's 20-man Quarterfinal. Among the 20 amateur riders, who qualified into the Quarterfinals, were Steel Lafferty (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Mitch Langfield (Brisbane, Aus.) and Bob Soven (Longwood, Fla.), who each posted a perfect score of 100-points. Bob Soven, younger brother of current Pro Tour champ, Phillip Soven, enters tomorrow's Quarterfinals as the top-seeded rider in the division.

The Pro Women's division will join both male divisions tomorrow, Saturday, May 30. Tomorrow's festivities will run 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and concludes on Sunday, May 31.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under).

For daily event schedules, photos, videos, athlete bios, scores, standings and more, visit www.allisports.com.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a three-day-long carnival of water-sports action. But not all of the action takes place on the water. On land, fans will experience tons of great food and music; athlete autograph signings; chances to win freebies; and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. The Pro Tour has the support of the following sponsors: MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Mona Vie, the U.S. Air Force, Indmar, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Ronix, Liquid Force, Gator Boards, Oakley, Ride the Wake, FUEL TV and Allisports.com.

MasterCraft is the exclusive tow boat for the Pro Wakeboard Tour, as it has been since the tour's wakeboarding events began in 1992. Indmar Marine engines will provide the power for MasterCraft's X Series line of competition tow boats.

Rockstar is the world's most powerful energy drink. Enhanced with the potent herbal blend of Guarana, Ginkgo, Ginseng and Milk Thistle, Rockstar is formulated to provide an incredible energy boost for those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles - from athletes to rock stars. Rockstar Energy Drink is available in eleven amazing flavors: Original, Sugar Free, Zero Carb, Juiced Mango Orange Passion Fruit, Juiced Guava, Juiced Pomegranate, Tropical Punched, Punched Citrus, Roasted Mocha, Roasted Latte, and Roasted Light Vanilla. Rockstar Energy Shots are available in Wild Berry and Tropical Punch flavors. Rockstar Energy Drink is available at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, and throughout the United Kingdom.

Media PartnersTo catch all the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action of the King of Wake series, tune in to FUEL TV - the official television partner of the King of Wake. WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the King of Wake series. Read about all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and news.

King of WakeViewed as the world's elite pro wakeboarding circuit, the King of Wake series has attracted the sport's top athletes from throughout the globe. With more than $300,000 in prize money over the eight-event season, athletes compete during the course of the year to be named the "King of Wake" - an award based on points accumulated at each stop of the series. Events include the Wake Games, the WWA Wakeboard National Championships, the WWA Wakeboard World Championships and all five stops on the Pro Wakeboard Tour. The King of Wake is organized by World Sports & Marketing - the leading wake events producer since 1988.

Alli, the Alliance of Action SportsAlli, the Alliance of Action Sports, is a global business that encompasses national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia production and a consumer facing lifestyle brand. The Alliance includes: the Dew Tour, Winter Dew Tour, China Invitational, Maloof Money Cup, AMA Motocross Championship, King of Wake series and the Free Flow Tour; Alli Productions, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners, and distributes Alli content through a variety of channels. Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. More information can be found at allisports.com.
Day 1 Results

Pro Men Qualifying (top two in each heat advance)

Heat #1
1. Jimmy LaRiche (USA) - 97.25
2. Kirby Liesmann (USA) - 83.50
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3. Marcelo Giardi (BRZ) - 81.75
4. Alex Brown (USA) - 77.50

Heat #2
1. Dylan Miller (CDN) - 97.25
2. Jefferson Langley (USA) - 92.75
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3. Derek Grasman (USA) - 76.50
4. Mike Maynard (CDN) - 57.75

Heat #3
1. Shaun Murray (USA) - 91.50
2. Sam Thomson (AUS) - 86.75
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3. Jason Bannatyne (CDN) - 81.50
4. James Hindes (USA) - 80.25

Heat #4
1. Danny Harf (USA) - 97.25
2. Troy Mackey (AUS) - 90.50
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3. Scott Stewart (USA) - 78.75
4. Nick Weinacker (USA) - 73.50

Heat #5
1. Josh Palma (USA) - 85.50
2. Anthony Hollick (USA) - 85.25
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3. AJ Racinelli (USA) - 85.00
4. Dustin O'Ferrall (CDN) - 84.50

Heat #6
1. Alex Scagliotti (USA) - 86.75
2. Jeff McKee (USA) - 86.00
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3. Kyle Rattray (CDN) - 85.75
4. Chris Dykmans (USA) - 67.75

Heat #7
1. Alex Hamrick (USA) - 87.00
2. Paul Hernaez (FRA) - 84.50
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3. Robby Carter (USA) - 77.50
4. Eric Deegan (USA) - 75.25

Heat #8
1. Brad Smeele (NZL) - 93.00
2. Joey Bradley (USA) - 89.50
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3. Jeff House (USA) - 82.75
4. Glenn Valentine (USA) - 74.75

Heat #9
1. Corey Bradley (USA) - 95.25
2. Keith Lidberg (USA) - 91.00
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3. Luciano Rondi Neto (BRZ) - 80.75
4. Jake Sonnevelt (USA) - 73.00

Heat #10
1. Keith Lyman (USA) - 95.00
2. Harley Clifford (AUS) - 92.75
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3. Zane Schwenk (USA) - 82.25
4. JoJo Lemburg (USA) - 68.00
5. Jacob Loken (USA) - 62.00

Heat #11
1. Dean Smith (AUS) - 98.50
2. Keith Holley (USA) - 86.75
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3. Tony Carroll (USA) - 84.75
4. Nick Jones (USA) - 54.25
5. Victor Sanchez (USA) - 34.50

Heat #12
1. Shane Bonifay (USA) - 95.50
2. Nick Davies (GBR) - 90.75
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3. Rusty Scott (USA) - 65.00
4. Rob Jacques (USA) - 56.50
5. Marcus Kistler (USA) - 33.75

Jr. Pro Men Qualifying (top two in each heat advance)

Heat #1
1. Jacob Valdez (USA) - 98.00
2. Gunnar Shuler (USA) - 81.75
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3. Adam Holdsworth (USA) - 66.75
4. Connor Bitton (USA) - 63.50

Heat #2
1. Ryan Anderson (USA) - 91.25
2. Pierce Homsey (USA) - 86.75
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3. Freddie Wayne (USA) - 85.25
4. Danny Faulkner (USA) - 52.25

Heat #3
1. Daniel Powers (USA) - 97.25
2. Alex Graydon (USA) - 90.50
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3. Kyle Evans (USA) - 70.25
4. Hayden McEntire (USA) - 57.50

Heat #4
1. Danny Burnstein (USA) - 95.75
2. Nick Galotifore (USA) - 91.25
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3. Manatea Bresson (TAH) - 77.25
4. Hunter Stich (USA) - 75.75

Heat #5
1. Raphael Derome (CDN) - 98.50
2. Taylor Kress (USA) - 87.25
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3. Daniel Dyck (USA) - 82.75
4. Taylor Heithold (USA) - 71.50

Heat #6
1. Phillip Aslinger (USA) - 95.50
2. John Jeffries (USA) - 89.50
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3. Kelton Collins (USA) - 85.00
4. Andy Milovanovic (USA) - 56.00

Heat #7
1. Mitch Langfield (AUS) - 100.00
2. Steven Cahail (USA) - 86.00
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3. Joshua Twelker (USA) - 85.00

Heat #8
1. Steel Lafferty (USA) - 100.00
2. Johnny Tobaben (USA) - 90.00
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3. Michael Dowdy (USA) - 80.00

Heat #9
1. Jarrod Askew (AUS) - 97.25
2. Stephen Pierce (USA) - 87.25
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3. Erik Nikstad (USA) - 67.50

Heat #10
1. Bob Soven (USA) - 100.00
2. Taylor Renfroe (USA) - 90.00
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3. Luke Thompson (USA) - 40.00